The present invention relates to a cassette load/unload device for a digital compact cassette recorder, and particularly to a cassette load/unload device with a simple structure and action.
At present a digital compact cassette usually is designed for use with both digital compact cassettes and conventional analogue compact cassette. Consequently, its cassette load/unload device must be functional for opening up the digital compact cassette cover without affecting the normal operation of the analogue compact cassette.
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional type cassette load/unload device for a digital compact cassette recorder is comprised of a rocker arm 1 mounted within the sliding slot 3 of base plate 2 by means of a pivot shaft 1A, the sliding slot 3 is vertical to the compact cassette 8 inserted and is able to limit the pivot shaft 1A for reciprocal sliding; and a gear 4 is fixedly connected to the rocker arm 1 and its surface has arc teeth centering around the pivot shaft 1A; and gear rack 5 is parallel to the sliding slot 3 and mounted on the base plate 2 and gearing with the gear 4; and a pin 6 is mounted on the end of said rocker arm 1; and a return spring 7 can enable said rocker arm 1 and gear 4 automatically to return to the original position.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, when digital compact cassette 8 is inserted in the base plate 2, the bottom end of the digital compact cassette 8 will depress the pin 6 at the end of the rocker arm 1 to cause the rocker arm 1 to rotate clockwise and therefore to cause gear 4 rotating and rolling together with gear rack 5 whereby pivot shaft 1A, rocker arm 1 and pin 6 all move toward the right side, and the digital compact cassette cover 8A is thus pushed open by the displacement of pin 6 to attain the purpose of pushing the cover 8A open. When the cassette is ejected, the return spring 7 will push the rocker arm 1, gear 4 and pin 6 back to their original position.
Referring to FIG. 3, when the recorder uses a conventional type analogue cassette, the analogue tape has no cover and the magnetic head and other mechanism stretch directly into the cassette in touch with the tape so that said rocker arm 1 and pin 6 must move to the position without hindering the recorder mechanism from entry of the cassette.
Because the conventional type compact cassette cover opening device must rely on matching with the gear 4 and rack 5 to control the displacement of pin 6, which enables it to push open the digital compact cassette cover and prevents it from affecting the normal use of an analogue compact cassette, the action of the overall mechanism is quite complicated and results in design and manufacturing difficulty as well as the structure of the parts being complicated.